BARTON BOY and GOOD GIRL, BAD COMPANY GUNSMOKE

GUNSMOKE: "BARTON BOY"

Originally broadcast October 1, 1955, "Barton Boy" begins with a train robbery near Walnut Creek. A baggage clerk is murdered, young Billy Barton is wounded, and the robber escapes with the strongbox. Billy survives, but his memories of the attack are incomplete. [stupidpotato.com], [goldie.fm]

That leaves Marshal Matt Dillon with very little to work with. But Billy remembers something important: the killer's distinctive weak voice. That fragment of memory may be the clue Matt needs to identify the man responsible. [stupidpotato.com]

It's a classic Gunsmoke mystery, with Matt trying to turn the recollections of a frightened young witness into enough evidence to find a dangerous killer.

GUNSMOKE: "GOOD GIRL, BAD COMPANY"

Originally broadcast October 8, 1955, "Good Girl, Bad Company" raises the stakes considerably. A United States Army payroll is stolen and two soldiers are murdered while it is being transported from Fort Dodge to Dodge City. Major Harris demands that Matt Dillon solve the crime, threatening military intervention if he fails. [stupidpotato.com], [youtube.com]

Then another soldier is found dead, increasing the tension between the Army and the citizens of Dodge. Matt finds himself confronting more than a murder investigation. He is trying to preserve civilian law and order before an angry military commander takes matters into his own hands. [stupidpotato.com], [youtube.com]

At the center of the mystery is Jenny Lane, whose connections to the people involved begin raising questions about what she knows and where her loyalties lie. Matt has limited time to uncover the truth and prevent the confrontation between the Army and Dodge City from spiraling out of control. [stupidpotato.com], [youtube.com]

Together,"Barton Boy" and "Good Girl, Bad Company" show two sides of Gunsmoke: first, Matt Dillon painstakingly following a slender clue left by a young witness, and then facing a case in which solving the crime may be the only thing standing between Dodge City and military rule. [stupidpotato.com], [stupidpotato.com]

A great double helping of classic radio Western drama for 1001 Stories From the Old West.